My 20L Journal always changing!!!

[debbeach13]

Terrible picture. Maybe later with lights on

[debbeach13]

Flinch is in a barnacle that is covered in mushrooms. Can’t get a picture of him yet. He hides when I approach the tank. Unless it’s seconds during dinner.

[debbeach13]

Hi everyone. Today was maintenance day. I did a 2-gallon W/C and replaced the filter pad. But first I removed about half of the scape and was able to catch Flinch in a cup. I never wanted him in here, but he wouldn't come out of his rock when it was transferred from the IM10. I have only seen him occasionally. Mama clown is pretty aggressive to the other fish during feeding time. The exception being her little mate snow. The other damsels seem to hold their own and I know they get plenty to eat. Flinch not so much. Of course, after he was removed, and I put everything back in the scape is different. I also added a couple cups of new sand.

[debbeach13]

This morning I found that the GFI had tripped off. Not sure how many hours the power was off. Temp had dropped to 76. Maybe that triggered Charles the 3rd to molt. I am sure everything will be fine. Charles is.

[debbeach13]

Lights ramping up.

[debbeach13]

[debbeach13]

[debbeach13]

Just want to mention that the toadstool looked like crap for more than 3 weeks. It was the longest period I have noticed so far in preparation for a major shedding. one morning it finally was actually shedding. I wish I had better skills at taking pictures or videos and actually could show you. It looked amazing, the shed part was still barley attached and was moving as the flow was between the shed and the coral. I used a turkey baster and blasted it off the coral while trying to catch the pieces with a net to remove it ASAP from the tank. I did not get a picture because I was too busy. I got most of it and did a 2-gallon W/C and new filter media. 

Also, the toadstool developed a spot almost in the center, it sort of looks like it will become a hole! It also changed shape and I think it is going to split. I don't even know if toadstools do that. It has probably dropped a half dozen babies over the years. That I sold to a LFS. I was / am very tempted to cut it, but I want to see if it does split on its own. I did for the first time cut a small frag off. The frag was attached to a piece of rubble with an elastic and placed in the studio 12 which already has a dropped baby in there. The new cut frag showed polyps in less than an hour. The picture on Saturday was taken after the sheading and taking the frag.

Has anyone witnessed their toadstool split?

I will get some pictures up soon. I want to try and show how this coral has wrapped its trunk around the rock and try to show the spot better. Then sort of document if it does split or if something is wrong. 

[debbeach13]

1st picture. Here’s the spot.
2nd picture.   Does it look like the coral is making a separation to any one else. From about 5 o’clock headed for the spot? 
3rd picture the base attached to two different rocks.

4th is a naturally dropped baby in the 20l tank. 
4th is a naturally dropped baby in the studio 12

and last is the frag I cut. 

[A.m.P]

Hopefully the hole isn't tissue erosion

[debbeach13]

If that is the case. Is there anything I should try? Should I frag it?

[A.m.P]

4 hours ago, debbeach13 said:

If that is the case. Is there anything I should try? Should I frag it?

I genuinely don't know, I think there are a handful of threads on R2R about similar things popping up with toadstools and how folk handled them.

It might just be that stuff is settling in that spot and you may be able to help the coral out by gently blowing it clean once a day. 

[debbeach13]

I read some of those this morning. Didn't see any recommendation's. Mostly talk about shedding. Seems like for now I will just keep an eye on it. I am hoping to get to a LFS soon and I will show them the pictures. Maybe they will have a suggestion. 

[debbeach13]

There is also the fact that the clowns host it. I got a picture with light on and no fish. 

[Lebowski_]

Lookin happy there. My clowns used you annoy my toadstool too and it would close and slime up. Eventually I just got them an anemone because they were annoying everything in the tank lol. 
 

[debbeach13]

4/29 noticed an actual hole in the toadstool, sorry I didn't grab a picture. I know dumbass.

4/30 before doing a W/C and maintenance. I pulled the toadstool out and fragged it. I cut the frag so it included the hole. then trimmed the hole out of the frag. I put the main toadstool back in this tank. Added a new bag of carbon. I used an elastic and attached the frag to a small rock and put it in the IM10 for now. Last night after lights on both looked pretty good with extended or open polyps open.

[debbeach13]

This morning I found this

[Snow_Phoenix]

25 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

This morning I found this

Reminds me of the time I woke up one morning and turned my fuge lights on to check on my sump, only to find a dead baby lizard floating in there. So gross. 

[debbeach13]

10/9/23 was one year of these five fish sharing this tank. Yellow damsel or golden, blue devil. Black and blue damsel and two clowns. Oh and the red mushroom between Dan’s legs added yesterday. My oldest blue leg.

[debbeach13]

Seems whiter or brighter in person. Oh well blame my phone.

[debbeach13]

A few days ago, I removed some coral to trade in at the LFS. I decided to fill in the empty space with the rock that has 11 frags purchased from Reefkid88 on Nov.18, 2023. I want to see how well one reef brite lumi pro lite 50/50 can grow corals. I also added another cleaner shrimp. Now there are two cleaner shrimp in one tank. I just turned the light in for a couple quick pictures.

 

[debbeach13]

The little frags were all doing well. Even growing a little. Under a single reef brite 50/50. 02/22/24 I ordered another reef brite fixture. This time I got the actinic blue. I guess I read to many posts about the corals growing better under blues. Even though I know I like the look of 50/50 better. About a week later I put in on the tank. 

Note: this tank is home to 5 fully grown damsels, 2 cleaner shrimp, some hermit crabs and snails. no dosing, no testing, just check salinity before and after W/C's. Yesterday for the first time in forever I saw a bumble bee snail.

Now the real part of this update.

Boom in just a few days diatoms on the sand and glass, then a few days later some little patches of hair algae in random locations throughout the tank. A little picking and brushing plus the snails have it under control. Around that time, I noticed something was growing just on the big rock with the little frags. Little blueish green spots. Reduced the lights on time to 5 hours. Monitoring closely because I suspected it was bubble algae. Confirmed a few days later. Only on that big rock with the frags and really dark green slime algae which was actually starting to cover the frags. Wednesday, I removed that rock pulled off all the frags. Placed them in a small bucket with just a pump and 1 gallon of tank water. From a quick 3-gallon water change. One was missing and found upside down in the sand. Probably not going to make it. Yesterday I did a diluted peroxide dip then glued a few plugs to some rubble and put all the frags in the S12. They are just lined up close to the side glass where they will be easy to monitor. Even though I moved everything around I was getting tired, so I didn't really aquascape. Going to leave as is for now. I will post some pictures tonight.  

 

[debbeach13]

Here a few no light pictures. Diver Dan and Maria say hi.